HEALTH

“Hum ek, hamara ek”
LUDHIANA

Every new day begins with a glance at the newspaper, three English dailies, a Hindi and a Punjabi paper. Well what catches your eye, on page one, and on the last page? Centres for treatment of the childless couples, precisely “Infertility centres”.

They offer everything possible, in every system of medicine, allopathy, ayurveda and homoeopathy, to make one enjoy the joys of parenthood. Has anyone wondered why on one hand, the slogan is, ‘population control’, while on the other hand, half page long ads, compete with Aiwa or Hyundai ads?

The stork shall not visit any household in the Indian subcontinent, for at least two years, suggested Lala Lajpat Rai, MP. In fact, the ‘baby holiday’ concept put forward by him has to be weighed in the proper prospective. Being a gynaecologist, I am astonished at the number of middle aged couples who approach me and ask me to ‘do something’ so that ‘she’ can conceive. Going through tonnes of chronologically filled investigations, which they carry many a time, I am helpless and have no alternative but to suggest adoption.

Crestfallen, they walk out of my consultation chamber, probably to another colleague of mine. The lucky ones who are able to conceive late, try whatsoever, are very few. “Infertility”, yes, is a superspecialisation, intriguing, methodical, well paying but at the same time, does not promise 100% results, even in the best hands at the best centers of the world.

The baby holiday ideology is not applicable to all and sundry and certain factors have to be taken into consideration or we would be having more “barren and frustrated couples”, torturing mother-in-laws, divorcees, and bigamous relationships in our society.

First and foremost, the age of the couple at the time of marriage is important as the chances of conception are maximum in the first two years of marriage. In a healthy and fertile couple the chances of conception are 50% in the first year and 80% by the end of the second year, and if at all the couple has difficulty in conception, then the investigative procedures further tend to delay their conception. So those on the wrong side of 25 years of age should plan early.

Furthermore, parents-to-be should be aware that late age pregnancies lead to chromosomal abnormalities with consequent malformed offsprings with below normal intelligence levels. The family in fact should be planned not always by delaying the conception but definitely by having the baby at the optimal time, and then postponing or cancelling the next conception accordingly. The ‘hum ek hamara ek’ slogan should echo from every house.

Moreover, the concept of gender equality i.e. the girl receiving as much importance or rather more, should be instilled in the minds of the general masses, so that successive pregnancies for a male issue are curbed, even after a two-year vacation.

We have to strike a balance between the need to curb the population boom and ensuring that couples are not denied the pleasures of parenthood.

(The writer is a gynaecologist and obstetrician at GTB Hospital, Model Town, Ludhiana)